


sometimes the simplest move is right

by auroraoraora



Series: Love in a Time of Swimming Pools [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Asahi always loved Ikuya, Domestic Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Presents, akane and asahi are legit sibling goals, are we sure that haru and shizuru aren't related, insecure nagisa, my first work in like 3 years, this might count as a marriage proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-12-24 13:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21100118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroraoraora/pseuds/auroraoraora
Summary: Seven stories of seven swimmers.1. Rin bought Sousuke a present in Australia. Sousuke might have a present of his own for Rin.2. Asahi, after seeing Ikuya for the first time in years, decided it was time to confess. Will he return his feelings?3. Makoto wants to take Haru on a date.4. Nagisa is afraid that he and Rei will break up after they graduate.5. Ikuya makes a decision.6. Rei didn't understand anything before he met Nagisa.7. Haru and Makoto on their date.





	1. I've seen enough to know it's lonely where you are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin sent Sousuke a present. Also, is it okay to talk dirty to someone on the phone in public when nobody else can understand you? Rin and Sousuke discuss.

“Rin, what the hell are these?” I hear paper ripping in the background of his phone call, and I know Sousuke got the package I sent him. He always calls at the worst times, but I love hearing from him so much that I don’t even care. I’m supposed to be on my way to school, but I don’t mind having company for that, even if it’s just the audio.

“They’re for people learning how to swim. What do you think? Think they’ll come in handy?”

Sousuke sighs, but I can tell he’s smiling, too. “We’ve been over this. I haven’t swam in a couple years, but I still remember how to do it. Did you have to give me the smallest sizes they had? Is this the size for newborns? This inner tube might fit one of my legs. I could wear it as a garter. Maybe I’ll wear it the next time we see each other. Would that excite you?”

I was managing to hold in my laughter, but the idea of Sousuke wearing a crab printed inner tube under his pants is just too ridiculous. It wouldn’t even fit! 

“Am I really that transparent? Yeah, the idea of you wearing a child’s toy that I bought for 5 dollars at Target is too much for my body to handle. I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby.”

“Don’t you quote 10 Things I Hate About You at me!”

“You’ve only watched that movie because Gou and I forced you to!” She had decided that Sousuke, not understanding our late ‘90s-early 2000s high school romantic comedy movie references, needed to watch at least the three most important ones. Sadly, he somehow fell asleep during Clueless. At least he liked Mean Girls.

“It was funny. I liked the guidance counselor writing her pre-Fifty Shades of Grey novel. But seriously though, I know you know that I didn’t forget how to swim. So what’s with the gift?”

How do I say this without sounding weak? “I-I-” If Sousuke had interrupted me here, I actually might have tried to reach through the phone and choke him. “You’ve been stressing out about a lot of things recently, so I thought that if I sent you something fun, you’d at least get your mind off of things for a while. I wanted to cheer you up.” Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry- “I thought it would make you happy.” And there it goes. Shit.

“You’re actually crying right now.” His tone is not one of mocking. It’s more a tone of resignation than anything else. I mean, this is what he signed up for when he agreed to date me.

“I’m not! Shut up!” The way my voice wobbles makes it super obvious that I’m crying. The only reason I even try to hide it is because Sousuke lectures me about how I need to be more in control of my emotions. They don’t care about that quite so much in Australia; I still hear jokes about it occasionally, but nothing more than that. “If you weren’t okay with it, then you wouldn’t be with me to begin with.”

“You’re right.” The admission is surprising- I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that before. “About everything. Things here have been pretty tense lately- for a long time, I didn’t think I would ever swim again. But now that I’ve been cleared to do it, I should be relieved, right? But I’ve missed too much training. It’s not like I’m ever going to make the national team, and definitely not the Olympics. Makoto and I will sit in the stands cheering on you and Haru, and we’ll both be fine with that. Part of me will always want that glory, but I’ve gotten used to the idea of being a trophy husband.”

There are so many things I want to say right now. Currently, though, one thing that Sousuke said is sticking out above everything else. I can berate him for talking down on himself later, but for now, the only thing I can say, in an embarrassingly high-pitched voice, is “Husband?”

Sousuke laughs slightly, but I can tell his heart’s not in it. “Makoto has shared some of his thoughts with me while you’ve been gone. He has so many different plans to propose to Haru. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s bought a ring already. I think I’ve come up with a better one, though. You want to beat them, right?” I don’t even get a chance to open my mouth before he continues. “You don’t even have to answer, I already know. There’s only one catch- you’ll have to win a gold medal first. Think you can do that for me?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? I’ll win all the gold medals! And then we can get a dog afterwards, right? I’m tired of cats.”

“Oh? Is someone jealous that his family’s cat likes his boyfriend more than him?”

“Fuck off, Sousuke. Don’t think that I won’t hang up on you.” There have been times that we would bicker over the phone and one of us would hang up on the other. We’d always apologize and make up within a day or two, but it could be really bad if it happened right now, after he said something so potentially life-changing. 

“Not right now, you won’t.” Why does he always know? “It doesn’t have to be 2020. If I have to wait for 2024, I will. Paris is a bit too cliché for my tastes, but it’d still be a good city to get engaged in. I don’t know if I could wait for 2028, though. Nothing against Los Angeles, but we’ll be 32 by then.”

“What, you think I don’t want to win a gold medal in my home country? I’ll get the gold, and then you’ll give me some more gold. You can come visit me in the Olympic Village, and then I’ll…”

“You’ll what?”

“Oh, come on, Sousuke! You definitely know what I was going to say! I’m on the train, I can’t say it on the train!”

“Nobody on the train can even understand you. What’s the big deal?”

“You’d be able to talk dirty to me on a train? Even if nobody else can understand, it’s still embarrassing!” I already started crying while I was waiting for the train, and now he wants me to add to it? “Let me put it a different way. You’d be okay with other people hearing me say those things?”

“If they can’t understand you, then I don’t think it’s really a big deal.”

“I wouldn’t want you to do it! Your voice gets all… low and smoky and it’d still be hot even if I didn’t know what you were saying.” My stop is coming up, so I move closer to the door. “I need to go soon, but we can talk later this week, maybe?” 

“I need to go, too. A big crowd just walked into the restaurant, and I know my dad’s going to want me to help- yes, dad, I’m coming, just need to say goodbye to Rin. Bye, Rin. Love you.” Even if he tries to act all cool about it, I know that he really means it.

“Yeah, love you, too.” I always feel a little empty in the minutes right after Sousuke hangs up, but it always ends up being the best part of my day whenever he calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke: "Rin, I love you"  
Rin: "That's gay"


	2. caught in the way you got me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asahi has liked Ikuya for a long time. He thinks it's a good chance to shoot his shot, but Ikuya may have other ideas.

Ikuya has taught me a lot about myself, even if he doesn’t realize that he has. (I don’t think there’s any way he could know about it.)

I know I’m the pathetic one who can’t let go of the person I’ve had a crush on since I was 13 years old, but I thought I was getting better until very recently. I even dated a few girls during our time apart, but occasionally I’d find myself wondering what Ikuya was doing, and then the girls just didn’t seem that interesting anymore. I feel bad that I suddenly had to transfer schools, but it’s not like I would’ve been able to stay there by myself.

But then, Haru, Makoto and I went to go visit Ikuya at his school, and when we saw him again, it hit me. _He’s only gotten more beautiful since then. I’m so screwed. Is he dating that Hiyori guy? Ugh. _According to basically every romantic comedy and shojo manga that has ever existed, I’m far from the first guy to meet up with a childhood friend after several years, only to find that they’re dating someone else.

Ikuya has an Instagram, even if he never really uses it. Sometimes his brother or people from his team will tag him in pictures, but that’s better than nothing, right? I accidentally liked one of his old pictures once, but I unliked it two seconds later, so it’s fine! He didn’t have any pictures with anyone else, but knowing Ikuya, that doesn’t mean that he’s single. Hey, maybe I should ask!

I pull out my phone. Definitely better to do it now.

**AS: Hey Ikuya what’s up**

The three minutes he takes to respond feel like forever.

**IK: Not too much. Just got done with practice. How about you?**

**AS: Yeah we just got done. Doing anything tonight?**

**IK: Hiyori and I are going to dinner now, and after that I have to study.**

**AS: Can I come over**

**IK: You can if you really want to, but don’t be too loud. Maybe you could bring some of your own work to do. A monkey needs all the help he can get.**

Okay, wow. I’m trying to shoot my shot, but homework? Ew. And don’t think I didn’t notice that jab at the end! Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect it. If I leave now, I could probably get over to Shimogami by the time that those two are done with dinner. Hopefully I can keep my Hiyori contact to a minimum.

Okay, I admit I don’t actually _hate _Hiyori. Sure, when we first met, he was a mega-douche, but obviously, if he really is with Ikuya, then I’m not going to do anything to take that away. Even though I know that we’ll never be best friends, all I really need to do is be civil, right?

**IK: Oh my god Kisumi is here why is Kisumi here**

**AS: Kisumi chills with u guys? Wtf**

**IK: Yeah. I guess he tried to get Hiyori to join the basketball club, and now he just kind of hangs out with us sometimes. They’ve said they’re a broken hearts club, but I don’t know if I believe that.**

**AS: What do you mean why wouldn’t you believe it**

**IK: When we were in high school, he was relatively popular, but mostly for his looks, brains, and money. This is all without him really talking to anybody besides me and the teachers. Even if someone else tried to make their way in there, he’d shoot them down pretty quickly.**

Ugh. I really don’t want to hear about how smart and good-looking and rich that guy is. Ikuya tries not to really bring him up at all when we’re spending time alone, but it still feels like his presence has soaked into everything around him. Do I even have a chance? I want to know now so I can move on if I need to.

I keep thinking about it the entire train ride to Shimogami. Not only am I thinking about Hiyori, but now I’m trying to figure out what the hell Kisumi is trying to do. I thought he liked Makoto? If he’s trying to move on, that’s probably the best thing, because I’ve been getting some murder vibes from Haru when we’re all together at the Marron. I’m just glad they’re not directed towards me. Probably because I’m not into Makoto, in any other way besides friends. I’m not trying to catch those hands from Haru. I think he could actually kill me if he wanted to.

I get so caught up in the pretend battle between Haru and me that I almost miss my stop. (I’m not afraid of Haru! I’m not!) I see a guy with teal colored hair, and I don’t know who else it could be besides Ikuya. He has no idea what I’m about to do. I got this. I’m a genius. Sure, it’s not a sports thing right now, but this is the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced in my life, even bigger than forming a new swim club, or when I became an uncle, and the college entrance exams. I’m a genius! He always made fun of me for saying it, but I can’t think about that right now. Here goes nothing.

“Hey! Ikuya!” He turns to look at me, and those eyes, the ones that I’ve been thinking about for the past six years, are shining. We would always fight back in middle school, and it still happens sometimes, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle it today.

“Asahi? I wasn’t expecting you for a while.” Not quite sure what he means by that, but ok. “Let’s go back to my dorm; do you know where it is? It’s a few buildings away, but it’s not too far.”

“Are you dating Hiyori?” I wasn’t planning on just blurting it out like that, but it comes out before I can stop it. Ikuya looks shocked, but I can’t tell if it’s a good or bad one.

“What? No, I’m not dating him, or anyone. Why would you even ask that?” There are several reasons for that, but I don’t want to go into them right now. I can’t help the laughter that comes rushing out of me. He must think I’m having a psycho episode, but I can’t bring myself to care.

“You don’t even know how glad I am to hear that. I’ve been in love with you since middle school, Ikuya. I’m sorry I left you back then, but my dad only told me we were leaving the week before, so I was in the dark about it, too. If I could go back and change things I would!” I take a breath before I continue, but Ikuya beats me to the punch.

“Asahi. People are staring.” He looks down as he says it, and it’s breaking my heart. I turn my head, and yeah, there’s a few people getting a free show. “Please, can we-” What? Never speak again? Pretend we never met? If that’s what he really wants, then I can do it. But we didn’t accept Ikuya and Hiyori into our group just to have them dip a few months later. “I can’t do this right now.”

Okay, that settles it. If he needs space, I can do that for him. Even I’ve done some pretty shitty things to him in the past, I can make up for it now.

I run all the way back to the Marron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asahi: "Ikuya looks extremely bangable today!"  
Makoto: "Ikuya's right there. He can hear you."  
Ikuya: (doing a Kenma face)  
Asahi: "What? It's a compliment!"  
(This can take place either in middle school or in college. Hilarious either way lol. Bonus points if Natsuya is there too)


	3. out of control, but you're playing a role

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto decides it's a good time to take Haru out. (aka the AsaIku and Reigisa stories got pretty depressing so I thought I'd make up for it with MakoHaru fluff)

“Haru?”

He doesn’t respond, but I know I have his attention. I usually do, after all.

“Want to go anywhere this weekend? I don’t have to go to work, and you don’t have to train, right? It feels like we haven’t even really seen any of the city yet. Maybe I’ll see if anybody else wants to go…”

“No.” He’s not saying no to the idea of going out.

“You’re right. It really should just be the two of us. We haven’t had a proper date in a while.” He loosens up at this, and I know I was right. “I think you’d like DisneySea. There’s a part that’s like Italy, a volcano, the Little Mermaid, Aladdin-”

“You had me at the Little Mermaid.” I keep reading to find-

“Oh, they’re closing for a while because of a possible typhoon. If we had a longer time, I wouldn’t mind going to the Izu Islands, but that would take longer than a weekend. Plus, everything’s probably closed down there by now.”

“Wherever you want to go is fine with me.”

“Maybe I’ll ask some other people I know. A few acquaintances of mine are natives to the city, so they probably have good advice. Nao has lived here for a few years, too, and he’s someone who would actually know about the kinds of things that you like. Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”

“I don’t care, as long as I’m with Makoto.”

“Oh, we could go to Tokyo Sea Life Park! They have fish from all over the world, and they even have the rockhopper penguin! We could see the penguin that our hometown was named after, wouldn’t that be fun?” Haru has perked up at the idea of doing something involving water, like always. “Maybe we can go to Disneyland some other time, and the other parts of the zoo. If you want, we can even go on the Ferris wheel at the end of the day. Would you like that, Haru?” Haru doesn’t look too excited, but he nods anyway. We’ve never done anything like that before, so I have no idea how either of us will react to being up in the air like that. I go back to talking about random things, and I think Haru is listening, but I can’t be too sure about that.

* * *

Saturday comes, and I’m in the middle of getting dressed when I hear a knock on my door. I open my door, my blue and green flannel shirt half buttoned up, and find Haru, already dressed and ready to go. We’ve known each other for about 15 years at this point, and I can’t remember a single time when Haru was the one to pick me up, rather than the other way around. I’ll have to ask mom later, though. He’s just wearing his usual hoodie and jeans, but he still looks amazing as ever.

“What’s going on, Haru? You know I was going to go pick you up after I finished getting dressed, right?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Translation: I got excited, couldn’t relax even in the bathtub, and I ended up just getting dressed and coming over at 8:15 on Saturday morning.

“That’s fine, Haru, but now we’ll have to leave later. The park doesn’t open until 9:30. Want anything to eat? We have time for it now.”

“I already ate. I made mackerel.” Of course you did. At least one of his neighbors has to have complained about the smell by now, right?

“How about tea? I just made some.” Haru goes to grab a cup of tea, and I go over to the mirror.

But before I even get over there, he tells me, “Your hair looks fine, you don’t need to fix it.” He knew I was going to do that? I don’t know how Haru keeps surprising me, but it’s still happening. I don’t think I’m having a good hair day, though. Do I have a hat to put on over it? I find my old winter hat, and it looks okay enough with this outfit. Haru doesn’t seem to agree, though.

“You look like Rin with that on. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him wearing almost that exact same outfit.” I take the hat off. “Much better.” Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll leave it as is.

I know this is a touchy subject for Haru, but I need to know the answer. “Do you ever see Kisumi around? I hardly ever see him anymore.” Sure enough, Haru has clenched up, looking almost… panicked?

“Not really. I’m fine with it.”

“I heard from Asahi that he’s been going to Shimogami to visit with Ikuya and Toono a lot. I wonder what’s up with that.”

“Don’t care. He’s been trying to take you from me since middle school.”

“Haru! That’s so rude! And it’s not even true! There’s no way that Kisumi is interested in me like that, at least not any more than he’s interested in anyone else.”

“That’s fair. He does like hopping around from person to person.”

“Is that why you’re extra clingy when he’s around?”

Haru turns away, looking almost… embarrassed? “I just like it.” We haven’t even had our date yet, but I almost want to cancel it and just stay here with him. I don’t think he’d forgive me if we didn’t go to the aquarium, though. After we get done at the aquarium, and then the Ferris wheel, we could go back to one of our places and… spend some more time together. We broke date protocol when Haru knocked on my door this morning, so why not break it a little more? I reach to pull him closer to me, and he settles in perfectly, like always. I tilt my head down slightly to give him a kiss on the forehead, and he changes the position of his head so that I’m kissing his lips instead. No matter how often we do this, it never feels like enough. I could keep going all day, but-

An alarm on my phone goes off. Right, the alarm to go over to Haru’s house. But he’s already here, so I can snooze it, right?

The most important thing is right here, next to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kisumi (texting Makoto) “break up with your boyfriend, I’m bored”  
Kisumi gets a phone call from Makoto  
“Hey Makoto!”  
Demon Haru is cursing Kisumi- if there's one character that can turn canon Haru into 50% Off Haru, that would be Kisumi


	4. constantly on the cusp of trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa is waiting for the other shoe to drop. He knows it's only a matter of time before Rei leaves him for someone better and smarter than him.

There’s no way that Rei and I can last.

It might sound crazy to an outsider, but think about it. We’re just too different. I know I come off as being stupid and like I don’t care about anything. Rei isn’t anything like that, though. He’s actually starting to be seen as popular now that he’s the captain. Sometimes I hear girls talk about how he’s “so cool and smart, and his abs are amazing!” I don’t think Rei has any interest in girls (we’ve never actually discussed it, and I honestly don’t care), which is probably the only thing that keeps me going.

But still, we’re going to be graduating soon. Even if we went to the same school, there’s no telling what will happen. Haru and Mako have both told me how hard they work to keep their relationship going. Haru mostly started carrying his phone around so he could keep in contact with Mako throughout the day. I can’t even imagine what Rin and Sou have to do to keep their relationship going. I don’t think Rei and I will end up in different countries, but now that I think about it, he could probably get a scholarship to some school in America or England or wherever pretty easily, couldn’t he?

Actually, this is probably the only thing I can thank my parents for- making sure I have good enough grades to make sure that I can get into those top schools. Even though it’s definitely not for the reason they hoped, my chances of getting in aren’t zero, despite what other people have to say about it. I just have to study like crazy for a few months, nail my entrance exams, graduate, and tell my parents that I’m leaving to go live with my BOYFRIEND. I’ve told them before that I’m dating Rei, but they seem to conveniently forget or ignore it. Like he’s something that can just be glossed over, like he doesn’t matter. Sometimes I hear them talking late at night about “Nagisa’s phase.” This might make me sound like a bad person, but I’m actually kind of glad that I’m leaving here soon. Iwatobi is nice and all, but it’s just too hard when your parents aren’t able to understand a key part of you.

“Nagisa? Do you need a break? You’ve been staring at that page for a while. Are you okay? You seem mildly upset.” Mildly upset is kind of understating it, but I don’t exactly want to get into my personal issues here and now. Not sure how I had forgotten that I was supposed to be studying with Rei, but distress can do a lot of harm, at least that’s what he always says. “We’ve been at it a while, do you think maybe we should stop for the day? Perhaps we could get a snack before heading home, as long as it isn’t loaded with sugar like so much of the food you consume on a daily basis.” Even if Rei won’t let me get a sugary snack from the store, I have a stash of them at home. No big deal.

“Would you like to talk about anything with me? I don’t know if I’d be able to help, but talking about it will make you feel better.” How is he so perfect? Other people only get to see the outside of Rei, the part that looks like a swimsuit model giving a calculus presentation. He doesn’t let a lot of people get close to him (I wanted to kick the crap out of someone when he told me about how he’d been bullied in the past) but if he lets someone in, he’ll do anything for them. Which will just make it hurt more when he finds someone else on his intellectual level. Someone who doesn’t get bored when he talks about covalent bonds or whatever else. I can’t even imagine how it will feel when he’s gone.

“Nagisa! Why are you crying? Is the stress of entrance exams getting to you? Please talk to me! You’ve been really off today, are you getting sick?” I know he’s trying to help, but all these questions are getting under my skin. And before I can stop myself-

“God, Rei! Can’t you just let me go already?”

Rei looks stunned, like I’ve just slapped him, which I guess I kind of did, even if it wasn’t physical. I see him open and close his mouth a few times, like a gasping fish. In any other situation I’d be laughing my ass off, but now it just makes me feel like shit. Why do I do this?

“Rei, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean that-”

“What did you mean, then? When people are under duress, they tend to blurt out the things they’ve been keeping hidden. So tell me, why do you want me to let you go?”

“I don’t, I really don’t! But when we go to college, there’s no guarantee that we’ll stay together, that you won’t find someone smarter and easier for you to be with. Even with my parents pressuring me, I don’t think I’ll get into the same school as you. Who’s to say some hot, smart person won’t catch your eye, and make you forget about me?” I want to say more, but Rei’s mom knocks on the door, pulling me out of my feelings.

“Boys, are you alright in there? I heard yelling.”

“No, it’s okay, Mrs. Ryugazaki. I was just about to leave.”

“But, Nagisa, we haven’t finished our-”

“It’s okay, Rei. We don’t need to keep going.”

I quickly gather my things and leave. I didn’t think this was how I would end things with him, but it’s better to do it now and get it over with, rather than waiting for him to leave me for another person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I headcanon SouRin as a dog family, and MakoHaru as a cat family. So where does that leave Reigisa? Maybe a turtle? Or a bird? I don't know.


	5. life makes sense when I'm with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikuya makes a decision.

“-go back to my room?” And he’s gone. Again.

Asahi has just told me that he’s been in love with me since we were in 7th grade, and he runs away right afterwards. Seriously, who does that?

I think I should probably talk to someone about this. The only one I can think of who might actually help me is my older brother. I’d really rather not, but needs must.

* * *

He’s laughing at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“You can’t actually tell me you didn’t see this coming.”

“But I didn’t.”

“You really never noticed that Asahi likes you? Because I did. I called him my brother in law once and he turned super red. You know, once I explained what a brother in law is. It was pretty funny, actually. You came to the right person, though, Ikuya. Since I have more romantic experience than you, I will help you figure things out.”

“You’ve only been with Nao. And need I remind you that you have your own romantic issues.”

“It’s not my fault that Nao doesn’t want to elope with me.”

“His exact words were, and I quote, ‘Natsuya, my midterms are tomorrow, can we please not do this now?’ That wasn’t a flat rejection. Wait, why am I consoling you now?”

“Seriously, though, Asahi may be dumb, but he’s a good kid. You say he went over to your school to see you? Maybe you should go over to that café and hear him out. I gave him my blessing a long time ago.” I was… probably going to do that. Maybe. Eventually. He continues on, “Even if you’re going to reject him, do it to his face. He deserves that much.” I actually had no idea how I was going to respond to this, but now that the idea’s in my head, I don’t think I want to reject Asahi.

Do I actually want to be with Asahi? I remember feeling absolutely gutted when we came back from vacation, only to find that Asahi had transferred schools again, after he specifically said he wouldn’t. Once in a while, when we were in San Francisco, I could hear a thought circling around my head. **Asahi would like this. **The first time I went to In-N-Out Burger, the seals out at Pier 39- I’d hear it sometimes even when I was just walking around the city, doing nothing in particular. Living near the Castro district and my own past experiences led me to accept my own identity pretty quickly. I knew I liked boys, but not any specific boy. Then I saw him again, and I remember thinking that his new confidence mixed with his old caring personality was intriguing. I wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to-

Okay, so I do like Asahi. Natsuya probably knew that already, which is why he’s telling me to go for it. Not sure how he can know all this stuff about my love life when he thinks his own is in shambles (it’s not, I’ll have my own brother in law after Nao graduates from university), but I can’t be mad about it right now. For some reason, it feels like if I don’t tell Asahi what I want him to hear right now, I never will. I know it’ll have zero impact on Asahi if his dad transfers again, but if I wait again, who knows what will happen? Is this what he felt before he confessed to me?

The train ride to the Marron is pretty uneventful, and before I know it, I’m walking through the doors, smelling the delicious coffee smell and greeting Asahi’s sister, baby Tsukushi in her arms.

“Are you here for coffee, or to visit Asahi?” I feel my face turning red, and I guess that’s enough of an answer for her, because she goes on to say, “He’s upstairs. He had a bit of a cold, but he’s fine now. Just remember that the café will still be open for a while, so don’t be too loud if you get into an argument, and use protection if you-” Does she’d really think we’d have sex here?

“We won’t be doing that!” She did tell me I was welcome to take Asahi, which, in hindsight, does feel like she was giving me her blessing. Even if she’s pretty chill, I didn’t think she’d be this chill with her younger brother having sex under her roof.

As I go up the stairs to the residential part of the building, I realize pretty quickly that I’ve never been up here before. I don’t even know which door Asahi is behind, so I just start knocking on doors until I hear him say, “What is it, sis?” I can’t really answer without him immediately realizing that I’m not his sister, so I just open the door.

Once he realizes it’s me, though, he tries to hide in his closet. He knows I can just open the door, right? The room is a lot cleaner than I expected (I suspect his sister makes him keep it that way) and once I’ve cornered him, he really has nowhere else he can go.

“I’m not mad that you moved away.” I think that’s where I should start, because none of the rest of what I want to say makes without that part. “I know that even you didn’t know you were moving, and it’s not like a 12 year old would be allowed to live on his own. I thought about you sometimes in San Francisco. Like I’d be eating a burrito or a burger, or I’d be looking at the seals in the bay, and I’d think, Asahi would like this. Then I’d wonder why I was thinking about you. But then we met again, and I started getting these weird notifications on Instagram that you’d like some old picture from last year or whatever.” He looks panicked at this. Does he really think I wouldn’t notice? “And besides, you… you got hot.”

He actually looks angry at this. “Are you saying I wasn’t hot before?”

“Well, I’m not a pedophile, so I can’t comment on twelve year olds being hot.”

“I don’t know why anyone thinks you’re innocent. You’re just as dirty as everybody else, except maybe Makoto.”

“Not too sure about that. Kisumi says he’s seen Haru coming to campus in the morning wearing last night’s clothes and doing what he describes as a ‘morning after waddle.’ Speaking of, your sister says if we want to get it on up here, it’s fine as long as we’re quiet and don’t disturb her customers. And if we're safe.”

“You’re lying! My sister doesn’t know anything about sex!”

“The fact that she has a son would suggest otherwise.”

“You are so-” I don’t get to find out what I am, because before I can even think about it, I’m kissing Asahi. If I would’ve known this was how to get him to stop talking, I would’ve done it back then, and we would’ve had our shit figured out by now. Within seconds, he has his hands in my hair, and he has his tongue in my mouth before one minute has passed. I wonder if this is what all those arguments were leading up to.

Yeah, we definitely should’ve done this sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you're watching the High Speed movie and you can't decide whether to pull Asahi and Ikuya apart or push them together
> 
> I'm not opposed to writing a story that's just Natsuya and Nao, but I'd have to come up with an idea first. The OG parents need some love too. These two make Daichi and Suga look like weak parents haha (even funnier because Daichi and Nao have the same voice- he goes from being the dad of Karasuno to the mom of Iwatobi)


	6. this time, same as before, love you forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei didn't understand anything until he met Nagisa.

I’m in shock as Nagisa leaves. I had no idea Nagisa had feelings like this.

That’s not to say that I don’t understand them. I too have felt lingering suspicions in the back of my mind, _he’s not going to stay with you. He’s going to find out how horrible you are and he won’t want anything to do with you after that. _This kind of self-loathing is definitely not beautiful, and if it were possible to turn it off, I would. Honestly, I am somewhat relieved to know I’m not the only person who feels like this. To think he’s going to leave me for someone else, someone who’s more similar to himself, who will understand him better than I ever could.

I used to not understand how, in those romance movies my mother watches, how someone could say that another person completes them. But then I met Nagisa, and I understood everything. I knew going in that I would need to discard a certain amount of logic, but his smile makes me glad to be rid of it.

However, given that Nagisa seems not to know that I feel this way about him, it seems that I should let him know somehow. For the first time, I wish I knew those books that Gou gave me last year, when everybody thought I was leaving the swim team. When Nagisa was devastated at the thought of me not being around anymore, and then a few weeks later when Nagisa’s parents tried to get him to leave the club when his grades were too low. Now is not an appropriate time to remember these particular moments, but they come into my head regardless.

How should I tell him my feelings about this? I know I don’t want to leave things as they are; that would be the worst thing I could imagine. I’m not good at the emotional side of things, and I never have been.

“Captain Rei, are you feeling alright? You look like you need to go to the nurse’s office.” Romio is looking at me, a mix of horror and concern on his face. Oh, right, we’re at lunch. At least, the first years and I are; Nagisa said he has to go to the library, an obvious lie.

“You look like you’re about to be sick,” Shizuru (unhelpfully) adds. Are we sure he’s not related to Haruka at all? 

“I apologize. There is nothing to worry about. I’m fine-” Ayumu interrupts me before I can even finish lying through my teeth.

“Then why is Nagisa acting like this, too? I offered him some of the food I made for today, and he said he wasn’t hungry. I don’t think that’s ever happened before. It’s very clear that something has happened, so could you tell us about it, please?” I don’t think I’ve ever heard her speak so honestly about anything before, so I decide to indulge them and tell them about the fight between myself and Nagisa.

“No! I don’t want mom and dad to break up!” I have no idea why Romio would refer to us in that way, but I have no time for that right now.

Gou must have come in at some point as well, because I hear her say something about how I just need to hold Nagisa in my biceps and not let go. It’s not possible to hold someone in just my biceps, but I can understand the sentiment behind her statement.

“Is there something that he’s been wanting to do that you haven’t had time for? Like anywhere he wants to go, or anything like that?” I rack my brain, trying to think of anything. He usually just wants to go for ice cream or to a movie, or something like that. I don’t think that’s good enough for him. We could do that anytime; I want to do something special. But at the same time, all of the books and websites say to be alone when doing things like this, and I, personally, don’t really want to cause a scene by doing something like this in public. Maybe I should just invite him over, or see if I could go over to his place. Nagisa has said that his parents refuse to acknowledge our relationship, but if I declare my love for him at his house and they hear it, they won’t have a choice. Either they’ll accept it or they’ll kick him out of the house. Okay, maybe better not, then.

I want to give myself some time to figure things out, but not too much, because what if Nagisa decides he doesn’t want to be with me anymore and he breaks up with me? I don’t get the chance, though, because Nagisa does it for me when he passes me a note during our writing class.

_Can we talk, Rei? I feel really bad about everything that’s happened. I haven’t been able to study or eat, or even sleep, really. _It’s true, he looks exhausted. _Can I come over after school today? Get up and throw this letter away if the answer is no, and put it in your pocket if the answer is yes._

The note goes in my pocket. Does Nagisa really think I’d get rid of him that easily?

* * *

Nagisa follows me home, but I can tell he’s still hesitant about it. He looks like he wants to say something, but he never does. It isn’t until we get into my room (with the door open- mom’s orders) that either of us can say anything at all, and before I know it, I’m metaphorically spilling my guts.

“I understand your trepidation. I, too, have worried about you leaving me for another. I imagine it’s normal to feel that way, especially because we have such an enormous change coming in the near future. I know how unscientific this is, but… I have faith that we can get through anything, just as long as we are together.” I hear laughter- the most beautiful laughter I’ve ever heard, and there’s only one person it comes from. “Am I saying something funny, Nagisa?”

“I just never thought you’d say something ‘unscientific.’” I hear sniffling, and when I can finally bring myself to look up from my feet, I see that Nagisa is crying. “I talked to Mako and Haru about it, and they said that they had felt like that before, too. I think Haru might have a weapons stash in case someone tries to hit on Mako. It was pretty scary, actually.” Indeed, the idea is quite horrifying. “I heard you were talking with the first years. Gou said that Romi called us mom and dad? That’s actually pretty funny. You could totally be the nerdy dad from TV shows. I’m not a regular mom, though. I’m a cool mom.”

Eventually we get our books out and start studying, but only after Nagisa makes another comment.

“Glad you chose me, Rei.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's probably very hard for Nagisa and Rei to go to the movies together when their tastes in movies are so different. Nagisa has most likely joined in on the Matsuoka family movie marathon at least once, while Rei just likes documentaries about various subjects.


	7. a butcher with a smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru and Makoto on their date.

I know Makoto wanted to get to the aquarium right as it was opening, because he knew it would be nice and quiet for me.

Kissing him is just too good to stop, though.

10:30 finds us on the train over to the east side of Tokyo, where the aquarium is. It’s not too far from Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea, either. I have a list of things I want to spend my Olympics money on, and all the Disney parks are on that list. It goes: house, cars, wedding, travel. Rin’s been gloating lately about how “Sousuke says he has the perfect proposal planned, but he said it can’t happen unless I win gold.” Oh, please. I’ll just have to show him what I’m capable of.

Meanwhile, Makoto is at it again, giving up our seats to two little old ladies who have just gotten on the train. I pretend to be annoyed at having to stand, but I know he likes doing things like that. It’s only three stops away, anyway.

When we get off, I immediately notice the big glass dome on the horizon. We walk towards it, stopping at the ticket gate to pay 1400 yen for two tickets.

We go up and into the dome, only to go down a floor. It’s dark in here, except for the display of blue fish. The tank is donut shaped, and I feel Makoto looking at me.

“Those are Bluefin tuna. Aren’t they beautiful?” They are. I am in awe of them as they swim around, not a care in the world. I almost don’t want to leave them, but Makoto tells me we need to get moving, so I go with him.

On the next floor down, there are fish from all different parts of the world. I like the leafy sea dragon, but Makoto likes the orange-footed sea cucumber. We get to the next section, and it’s the tuna again, but from below this time.

I used to want to be like them; to swim without end, to not care about anything else. If it weren’t for Makoto, and the other people in my life, I might still be like that. Can you even call that living? You can only go with the flow for so long. If I had never taken a risk, I don’t think I would be dating Makoto, or living in Tokyo, or be on the path that I’m on right now. It may have taken a ten hour flight to another country to realize that, but now that I’ve made it here, I don’t want to go back to the way I was.

With this realization, my mind kind of blanks on the rest of the aquarium. I guess there was a bit about animals on the shoreline, and then the penguins. The rockhoppers are kind of cute, with their yellow feathers that look like huge eyebrows. Apparently one of the penguins managed to climb over the wall and live in Tokyo Bay for almost three months. Then there’s some kelp and some fish that are more local to this area. We’re done after the water birds and some freshwater fish.

I grab the lunches I made for us from the storage lockers, and we eat them on the lawn, where we continue to watch the birds. Makoto is also watching a family nearby, their young daughter playing with her parents. I know Makoto wants a family someday, and I always used to say that I didn’t like kids (“But Haru, you always liked playing with Ran and Ren!”). I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to adopting a child, but only if there’s room in the house after all the cat toys and scratching posts we’ll put in for our kitten army, which will live to fight against Rin and Sousuke’s puppy army.

We spend a couple hours just wandering around the area, which I guess is a bird sanctuary. I’ve noticed the Ferris wheel all day, but I assumed that Makoto would be too afraid of heights to want to ride it. Which is why I was surprised when, at around 4:30, he started leading us towards it. The staff member takes a picture of us before we get on, and by what I can only assume is sheer fate, we manage to get to the top right when the sun is starting to set.

We can see everything up here. The entire city of Tokyo, the bay, Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland, and even Mt. Fuji. However, Makoto looks pretty nervous, which is dampening the experience for me.

“Makoto, are you afraid of heights?”

“No, Haru, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong.” I just stare at him. I know when he’s lying. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking.” He pauses, and my depression delusions are coming true now, aren’t they? “We’ve been spending a lot of time at each other’s apartments, and I don’t think it really makes sense to have two separate apartments. I reach for you in the night sometimes, and it’s always upsetting when you aren’t there.” I’ve done the same thing, not that I’ll ever tell him. “We’ve already been dating for two years- if something was going to happen to ruin it, I feel like it would’ve happened already. I don’t think we’re taking things too fast. What I guess I’m saying is, do you want to move in with me, Haru? Or maybe I move in with you? I don’t know, we can figure that out later.”

I don’t know why he’s so nervous about this. Does he really think I’d say no? Makoto and swimming are the only things I want. I don’t care about anything else. I’d have nothing if not for him, which is why I have to do my part in our relationship.

“You don’t have to pretend it’s for financial reasons. You can just say you want to move in together. The answer is yes, by the way. I think we should try to find a bigger place close to our schools. With a big bathtub and a good kitchen, so I can cook for you all the time. I just want to be with you every day.”

Before I even register what is happening, Makoto is kissing me. I can vaguely register the car we’re in starting to move, but it isn’t until I hear a loud “ahem” that I realize we’re supposed to be getting off the ride now.

The train ride feels shorter than it did this morning. I like how we don’t even have to verbally confirm that we’re going to my place now. I hope he can stay overnight, but even if he can’t, I’ll know that he’s the one I’ll soon be spending all my nights with.

The sex we’re going to have is just an added bonus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized too late that this is the aquarium that Makoto took Rin to, but I'm going to ignore that.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. "Tragedy+Time" Rise Against  
2\. "Girls/Girls/Boys" Panic! At the Disco  
3\. "Diane Young" Vampire Weekend  
4\. "Do I Wanna Know?" Arctic Monkeys  
5\. "Freak" Lana Del Rey  
6\. "Right Action" Franz Ferdinand  
7\. "Tear in My Heart" Twenty One Pilots  
Wondering what Kisumi and Hiyori are up to? Just click on the next work button and find out!  
(I changed the chapter order. I realized that the season 3 character song CD had the characters in this order, and the things that need to be in sequence still are, so I thought, why not?)


End file.
